Boeing Sees VIP MAX

Boeing is already talking to customers about a VIP version of the 737 MAX, even if the aircraft is not expected to enter airline service until 2017.

“We are working on what the VIP version of [the MAX] will be,” says Steve Taylor, Boeing’s president of the BBJ product line. A first deal could be inked soon, he indicates.

Several milestones for new Boeing VIP offerings loom. The first 787 VIP aircraft is to be delivered in the third quarter of 2013. The first slot for a new 787 VIP aircraft does not become available until the first quarter of 2019, although three test aircraft, available for VIP conversion, are available in late 2014 or early 2015.

For the 747-8, the first two delivered (a third is due soon) are now having their aeroloft installed in Wichita. The first is due to go to its completion center, Lufthansa Technik, in August, where it will be for about two years. The first 747-8 without aeroloft is due for delivery this year, so it is unclear which will enter service first, Taylor indicates.

The pioneer years of aviation included both successful and misguided efforts to make the number of safe landings approximate to the number of takeoffs. Here are some notable examples on both sides of that record.